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Of all the varied decisions we’ve had to make of late, we also had to consider whether to allow our first tenants to keep pets. Queue the cat lady.

By way of a preface to this post, we’ve always been “dog people”, had pets in the properties we’ve tenanted, and keep a dog and a cat in our own home—so we know all about animals. The dog in the photo is Riley. She's a ridgeback cross Rottweiler, around ten years old now (the photo was taken when she was younger). We also have a cat, who thinks he's a dog—and he's almost as big, named Ted. This crux of this post is our personal story about how we acquired Riley without permission while renting and our experience as pet owners (in case you’re not). I discuss some other considerations further down.

Ten or twelve years ago, we were living in in Adelaide near the university where we both studied. We found a house through the university's accommodation board after landing in Adelaide from Perth, days after I emigrated to Australia (a sordid tale, those first few weeks in Adelaide).

The landlord, Grant, worked next door as a steel fabricator and the house was ancient—or felt that way to us. Think green and yellow motif in the kitchen, gold threadbare carpets, a toilet in the sagging rear addition that was so cold on a winter’s night you might as well have been in an outdoor dunny, and ceilings that stretched to infinity. Our view from the front veranda was an old Colourbond fence across the street, what I would come to call an "ugly tree" on the verge, and Grant's crane through the twisted chain link fence separating the house from his factory. Grant started early—7am at the latest—and steel deliveries would often arrive around that time with a flatbed truck reversing down his drive which ran alongside the boundary of the rental property—and the master bedroom—with only inches to spare.

The house was close to the university and shops, it was clean, and it served us well given the affordable weekly rental of $125. Despite the occasional late night and weekend, Grant was a good neighbour and it was convenient having our landlord next door when it came time to pay the rent. Upon meeting Grant, we told him we had an old cat to deal with but, to quote me, "she'd be dead soon", and he was okay with that.

We spent four years in Adelaide, in the same rental. I think our rent increased once by five or ten dollars—a very good thing too as we had no money to our name (I was studying as an international student and we simply had nothing behind us despite menial part-time jobs, a meagre Centrelink allowance, and a simple existence).

At the start of our last year in Adelaide we woke up one overcast Saturday morning and started talking about dogs. We'd both had dogs we loved growing up. The wife said, hypothetically, she'd really like a Ridgeback. I said I'd really like a Rottweiler. We decided to drive down to the RSPCA that morning "just to look." We came home with 10 week-old Riley: a laughable sack of brown, wrinkly skin and a Ridgeback-Rottweiler cross.

Sunday we spent playing with Riley and thinking through how we might explain this situation to Grant. We thought he may not be too keen on the idea but we knew he had a family dog of his own. The rent was due on Monday so we had to go over anyway and he would have seen Riley in the garden if we weren't upfront things. We took Riley with us in the hope of persuading our landlord with puppy cuteness. Of course she was happy as any puppy can be be out for a walk, not knowing how much trouble her new parents might be in.

Grant met us at the roller door of his shed. The sun typically came up behind the shed and, walking up the workshop’s driveway it was often impossible to see what was going on inside, through the deep shadows beyond the door.

As we approached and my eyes adjusted to the dimness I saw an inquisitive smile on Grant's face and a raised eyebrow. He asked us what we'd done as we both cringed slightly and avoided eye contact.

Grant told us she'd dig holes in the grass and I promised him we'd look after the place. By this point he'd bent over to scratch her ears. All the necessary exchanges, of course—there was really no negotiation required and Grant's smile said it all.

And so we had a dog. The surprise was sprung upon our landlord but at least he was on board. The puppy dug holes every so often and I dutifully filled them in. She peed and pooped on the kitchen floor, where we left her the first few days when we had to go off to uni; when we arrived home, we washed the tired lino floor after collecting the mess and the freshly shredded newspaper we’d left down. She ate our phone once, while in that kitchen. She pulled laundry from the clothesline, once outside more regularly, and we arrived home one afternoon to find wifey’s unmentionables strewn across the front lawn. Thankfully she was quiet about it all and never barked much.

Grant would park his ute in a little garage at the corner of the factory lot and open the side gate first most mornings. As Riley slept outside in Adelaide, she'd come to greet him through the chain link fence every morning, sauntering sheepishly past our corner bedroom window to say hello. Or so we thought: we peeked at the two of them one morning from behind the curtain and realised Grant was actually sneaking Riley treats.

When we left Adelaide to move to Perth, Grant asked for a picture of Riley. Obviously we lucked out as Grant could have told us to get rid of the dog or cancelled the lease when we brought her home.

We still have Riley today. She still digs holes and sheds fur and tracks mud and sand into the house. She’s older now and drools brown slobber through her old teeth. As work progressed on our first investment property we discussed whether it would be wise to allow prospective tenants to have pets. The house and all of its fittings, including the carpets and gardens, are brand new. We can’t ask tenants for a pet bond in Queensland but I suppose we could charge a premium rent if the market would tolerate it (Open Wealth’s rental guarantee might not, however). Allowing pets has the potential to widen the market of applicants and might also help install a long-term tenant at that.

We've read horror stories about the smell that lingered even after the carpets were pulled out. We know from first hand experience dogs and cats have oils on their fur that gets left behind on every doorway and corner they rub past. Fur gets into everything. Cats have claws that pick at carpets. Dogs dig holes. And they all get poop and occasionally vomit on floor coverings and walls. They sometimes bleed (another story). They sometimes claw at doors. They sometimes chew wood. They sometimes dig up new gardens. They bark (and meow). Even a fish tank might leak and a snake might eat the kids. Is any premium really worth it? It would likely be hard work to evict a cat lady and insurance might or not might not cover some of these problems.

We've loved our pets. They cause us no end of heartache at times but they're good value nonetheless and the kids love them. I don't think a new house is the best place for tenants with pets—from my perspective as a landlord, anyway. Maybe in ten years when the place has been bumped through by several shorter term tenants and is due for a fresh coat of paint and new carpets.

Nonetheless, our property manager at Century 21, Kerry West, indicated most of the applicants looking for a 4x2 house in the area have pets (think family: mum, dad, and two or three kids plus cat or dog or both). Kerry further suggested a family without a pet on move-in day might seek to acquire a pet later on, which would likely be a juvenile animal instead the mature animal(s) we might get upfront. All valid points we hadn’t considered.

And so we left the Pets Allowed box ticked on the appointment form and agreed to wait and see what happens. In the end, the first application through (which we accepted) is from a trio of roommates with no pets and the lease formally stipulates no pets.

If the tenants come to us in time asking to have a pet (or having acquired one) I can’t say I’ll be as sympathetic as Grant was with us but I can’t say that I’d say no either. At the very least there would the cost of replacing the tenants if they chose to leave in order to find a more accommodating rental. We certainly understand the benefits of having pets in our lives and it would be hard to begrudge someone else that luxury.

I suppose a disclaimer is also worth posting: I'm just a guy, I'm not an accountant, lawyer, solicitor, tax agent, mortgage broker, banker, financial adviser, insurance agent, land developer, builder, government agent, or anything else so I disclaim your application of anything I write here is to be applied at your own risk. What I write may be incorrect and you are best to seek your own professional advice (tax, legal, financial, and otherwise) before entering into contracts or spending your money. Your situation is unique to you and what I write here reflects my experience only. This content is not professional advice and is not tailored to your situation. I'm learning too and expect to make many, many mistakes along the way.

One of the inclusions of building an investment property with Open Wealth Corporation is a travel “allowance”, of sorts, funded from the development management fee paid at the beginning of the process. The question facing us now is whether we take advantage of those funds and see the property and the house for the first time with our own eyes.

Open Wealth offered us the opportunity to fly to Queensland from WA to inspect the area when we were considering a purchase and again at land settlement. With construction now complete, and no tenant in the house as yet, we recently received a final offer to have a look. In our case, we’ll be reimbursed $400 for costs to get to Brisbane and back, which is money that will otherwise go back to Open Wealth. As a return flight to Brisbane from Perth costs $538 at a minimum, we’ve been asking ourselves whether we spend the extra money and inspect the build or not.

Were it not for the money (and possibly the time), the question would be a silly one and the answer would be “of course! We’ve just built a new house so why wouldn’t we want to see it?!?”

The obvious response is to remain emotionally detached from what is a purely financial investment. We have no plans of ever living in Queensland or in this property and as long as it can be successfully rented to fund the cost of holding the true asset—the land—we shouldn’t care if the front door is pink or what the view out the front window looks like. We don’t actually need to see it in person.

The practical man inside of me, however, has a slightly different opinion on such things. Including our family home, this is the second house we’ve now had constructed by a project builder. From experience with our first build, we know some things will have been overlooked and some things will have been delivered to an unacceptably low standard. These defects, if not addressed during the builder’s warranty period, have the potential to translate into a significant cost to us in the future.

I’ve previously noted Open Wealth conduct a number of inspections throughout the build and the first and second practical completion inspections have already occurred. A small number of defects were logged and the builder addressed those defects promptly. The defect list seemed well-considered and detailed. To that end, my visit is likely redundant but for the $200 and a day out I’d rather be certain—I don’t have laser vision but it’s pretty close and I’m a stickler for details.

I’d also like to photograph the house inside out before tenants move in. Open Wealth will again be providing us with professional photographs of the completed house and the property manager will take dozens of photographs for the baseline property inspection report before the first tenant moves in. Like I said, stickler for details.

Beyond the basic house inspection, Open Wealth will supply me with a driver for the day and suggested I have a look around the local area. I’ve never been to Brisbane before and, if we opt to build again, having a better (albeit very quick) feel for the city and state will be helpful. I’ll also be meeting the builder’s site manager and one of the property managers from Century 21 and it will be great to have that personal contact.

As we’ve got two young kids at home it’s going to be a quick one: fly over in the morning and fly home that night. I’m hopeful it will be worthwhile.

I suppose a disclaimer is also worth posting: I'm just a guy, I'm not an accountant, lawyer, solicitor, tax agent, mortgage broker, banker, financial adviser, insurance agent, land developer, builder, government agent, or anything else so I disclaim your application of anything I write here is to be applied at your own risk. What I write may be incorrect and you are best to seek your own professional advice (tax, legal, financial, and otherwise) before entering into contracts or spending your money. Your situation is unique to you and what I write here reflects my experience only. This content is not professional advice and is not tailored to your situation. I'm learning too and expect to make many, many mistakes along the way.

The first step in transitioning our newly-built Queensland investment property to an income-generating asset—rather than a financial liability—is to find a rent-paying tenant. But let’s not jump ahead because first it’s time to find a good property manager.

As we reside in Western Australia, managing an interstate investment property ourselves would be challenging but not impossible.

Travel costs to inspect an investment property are tax deductible once the property is income generating but not before. Once a property is tenanted, the ATO allows its owners to deduct travel costs twice per year but be careful because if you and your spouse are joint owners and travel together that’s your two trips (and if you’re thinking about making the trip into a holiday opportunity, think again: you may not be able to deduct all—or any—of your costs). It’s also worthwhile attaching a dollar amount to your time and asking yourself if that time can be spent more productively.

Then there’s Queensland law, in our case, which entitles a property owner to only four inspections per year. That number includes regular, scheduled inspections by the property manager.

To my mind, hiring a licensed property manager to manage an investment property offers another layer of risk management—an insurance of sorts—and is yet another cost of “doing business” as a property investor. We could play the role ourselves but it doesn’t seem to be a good idea apart from the cost savings, which are tax deductible anyway. Speaking of insurance, some insurance companies offering landlord insurance require the insured property be managed by a professional property manager.

In theory, even an average property manager will know the area (and rent benchmarks for that area) and may have a database of possible applicants ready to go. The property manager will advertise the property, schedule and host open for inspections, screen applicants, conduct rent inspections, and manage maintenance. We also have the option of having the property manager arrange payment of some charges, such as rates, the water connection, cleaning, landlord insurance, etc from rents collected. Of course a property manager also deals with rent collection and bond monies and can represent you at tribunal (for an additional fee) if necessary.

Importantly, a property manager offers a layer of separation between you and your tenants to avoid getting too personal and keep things business-like.

Expect to pay between 7 and 10 percent for a property manager. In our case that breaks down as commission of 5.5% of one week’s rent (including GST) plus a 2.2% management fee.

I’ve heard it suggested finding a good property manager is imperative but perhaps not the easiest thing to do. There are countless property managers for hire out there and a much smaller selection of really good ones.

Open Wealth recommended us to West Property Group (Century 21) and I spoke with Kerry West, the proprietor, who was extremely helpful and patient as we talked about everything from insurance to rent expectations to annual rent increases to pet bonds and so on. Kerry is a property investor herself and having someone representing you who understands what you’re trying to achieve is a big plus in my view.

Notably, Open Wealth include a rental guarantee with their properties, the terms of which mandate the property is to be managed through the agent they nominate.

Our success is linked with that of Open Wealth, in a way, so it’s obviously good for Open Wealth to have their client’s properties managed by good managers, with the added bonus that we receive a slightly discounted management rate. At the end of the day, this property is a turn-key investment and I’m happy to accept Open Wealth’s advice as we move from acquisition and construction to “commissioning”.

There were a few minor differences between property management norms in WA and Queensland that surprised us.

We’ve previously rented in Perth and, as tenants, had to pay the letting fee ourselves; in Queensland, the landlord pays the letting fee (of 110% of one week’s rent—inc GST).

Apparently the area attracts many families with pets. In WA, as pet owning tenants, we paid a pet bond. In Queensland it’s not legal to charge a pet bond. I’ll be writing more about pets in an upcoming post.

Given the rental guarantee, the geographic distance between Perth and Brisbane, and our lack of experience as landlords, appointing a professional property manager is the right thing do in our case, at least for now. Hopefully they earn their keep and attract a quality tenant at a good weekly rent!

I suppose a disclaimer is also worth posting: I'm just a guy, I'm not an accountant, lawyer, solicitor, tax agent, mortgage broker, banker, financial adviser, insurance agent, land developer, builder, government agent, or anything else so I disclaim your application of anything I write here is to be applied at your own risk. What I write may be incorrect and you are best to seek your own professional advice (tax, legal, financial, and otherwise) before entering into contracts or spending your money. Your situation is unique to you and what I write here reflects my experience only. This content is not professional advice and is not tailored to your situation. I'm learning too and expect to make many, many mistakes along the way.

It’s hard to believe how quickly it’s all happened but construction of our first investment property is complete (well, “practically complete” anyway). As with all of these milestones and progress update posts, we received another—the final—invoice and we’ve been scrambling ever since to ensure everything is in order.

The builder’s Invoices are due within seven days of receipt (communicated to us through Open Wealth) so the first order of business was to authorise payment by the bank. This payment also required proof of insurance, which had to be purchased. Our client liaison manager at Open Wealth forewarned us about this one to avoid any delays so I’d been comparing insurance products when the call the came in to let me know the last invoice had been issued. Even still, it caught me off guard a little bit as I wasn’t expecting everything to be finished until the end of August. The bank is also doing a final inspection/valuation so this payment will likely take a little longer than most.

As it’s now time to move into the next phase of this project, tenants, it was also time to select a property manager and get my head around all of the services covered, our options, and the necessary paperwork. I’ll write about that in an upcoming post but the house is on the market and seeking a good tenant.

Finally, there’s now the critical decision as to whether we fly over to Brisbane to have a look, ideally in the next few weeks before the house in tenanted. We’re only entitled to inspect the property, legally, four times a year (including official property inspections by the property manager). Open Wealth contributes $400 towards travel so it seems silly not to take advantage of that offer (the $400 ultimately comes out of the development management fee we pay to Open Wealth at the beginning of the process—we could have gone over earlier, i.e. at land settlement).

We’re ultimately very keen to stay emotionally detached from this property. That said, while I’m confident the build was executed well and has been fully inspected, I’d very much like to do my own, thorough inspection and snap a million photos of all the nooks and crannies while it’s new and before tenants arrive. The property manager will also provide evidentiary photos before tenants move in but I’ve got eagle eyes and want to ensure all the defects are spotted so they can be addressed by the builder now.

Speaking of which, Open Wealth will have now completed their first inspections and the builder will have the next few weeks to address any issues. If all goes well, we’ll have a tenant lined up by the time we handover formally.

The pictures below look great—if not slightly out of date as the fencing and gardens obviously aren’t complete. Gotta love the security screens—at least they should stop tenants from coming and going through the windows!

I suppose a disclaimer is also worth posting: I'm just a guy, I'm not an accountant, lawyer, solicitor, tax agent, mortgage broker, banker, financial adviser, insurance agent, land developer, builder, government agent, or anything else so I disclaim your application of anything I write here is to be applied at your own risk. What I write may be incorrect and you are best to seek your own professional advice (tax, legal, financial, and otherwise) before entering into contracts or spending your money. Your situation is unique to you and what I write here reflects my experience only. This content is not professional advice and is not tailored to your situation. I'm learning too and expect to make many, many mistakes along the way.

About Me

Hi, I'm Michael. I'm a first-time property investor living in Western Australia. I'm also a stay-at-home dad and husband. Follow along with me as I recount the day-to-day activities of buying a block of land in Brisbane and building a new house for investment purposes. If you're thinking of doing the same, I hope you'll learn something from my mistakes--which I'll share openly. If we're successful this time around, I hope one will become two and two will become four and so on... as interest rates no doubt increase and the Australian economic landscape shifts and slides and evolves. Should be interesting! Thanks for reading.